Become a weather observer for your community...Join CoCoRaHS!

CoCoRaHS is the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network, a group of over 18,000 volunteer precipitation observers nationwide. CoCoRaHS observers measure the rain, hail, and snow that falls in their backyard, and share the data online.

Reports from CoCoRaHS observers are used by many agencies at the local, state and national level, including the National Weather Service. It's a unique opportunity to become a "citizen scientist" and play an important part in documenting how weather affects your local community.

All you need to join CoCoRaHS is a standard 4 inch diameter rain gauge which meets National Weather Service standards of accuracy to the hundredth of an inch (shown in the photos above, available for purchase on the CoCoRaHS website), and access to the internet to relay reports through the CoCoRaHS website. You can report daily, during the rain or snow season, or whenever you are able to take measurements. It's up to you! Any reports you are able to share are greatly appreciated.

We are especially in need of precipitation and snowfall reports across greater Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

What is CoCoRaHS?

For additional information on the network, to view data from CoCoRaHS observers across the country, or to join the team please visit the CoCoRaHS website at: http://www.cocorahs.org

You can also contact Michelle Margraf, Observing Program Leader at the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota for more information at 952-361-6708 or michelle.margraf@noaa.gov

CoCoRaHS - Join the Team!

The nationwide volunteer Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is a grass-roots effort to provide precipitation reports in as many locations as possible across the country. As the saying goes "the rain doesn't fall the same on all". Due to the variability of precipitation, amounts can be quite different only a block or two away. Help fill in the gaps! The more observations, the better the understanding of the weather conditions that impact the area.

The National Weather Service uses CoCoRaHS precipitation data daily in river forecast models, flood and drought forecasts, and precipitation and snowfall maps and tables. Here's a link to where the data are posted on our website: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mpx/?n=rtpmaps (click on precipitation or snowfall above the map to view the reports)

CoCoRaHS observers can also send the National Weather Service real-time reports of severe weather including hail, flooding, blizzards, ice storms, wind damage, and excessive rainfall totals, which greatly assist meteorologists with determing the impact of storms on local communities. Your reports will make a difference!